5 Easy Ways to Care For Your Skin This Winter

Say goodbye to dry, cracked skin, lips and hands with these simple satisfying ways to care for your skin this winter.

I’m not a fan of the cold. Don’t get me wrong. I love to sip on a delicious hot chocolate or mulled wine in front of a roaring fire as much as the next person. What I don’t like is the bitter unrelenting chill that numbs my face and dries out my skin. That unforgiving Frost that bombards me with a barrage of blisteringly cold winds and causes my head to shrink half a foot into my shoulders.

But as much as ol’ Jack Frost might try, I’m fighting back against his schemes with some secrets of my own. Here’s how I take care of my skin when winter is in full force.

1. Use a rich hand cream

My hands suffer the most in winter. I think that’s because my extremities (my hands and feet) get cold almost immediately and pretty much stay freezing until I’m somewhere warm. No kidding, I wear ski gloves all winter long!

And because my hands get cold and dry and my knuckles will crack if left unattended, I need to ensure that they are sufficiently moisturised ALL. THE. TIME. And not just any old hand cream will do. It’s gotta be rich, creamy and long lasting.

I like to make my own hand cream because my skin gets intensely dry and most creams aren’t good enough. Soon I’ll make a ‘How To’ post about it! But when I don’t have time to make a batch of cream, I head to the shops. My winter hand cream of choice?This Citrus Hand Softener.

Once you’ve tried this cream, it’ll be hard to go back to anything else! It’s excellent at repairing dry cracked knuckles and you’ll be frequently removing your gloves just so you can stroke your velvety soft hands! I’ve mentioned it in this post about creating a self-care routine.

2. Use a barrier

If I know I’ll be spending more than an hour in the outdoors, I make sure my skin is ready for it by using a barrier against the cold. The Wild Rose Beauty Balm by Neal’s Yard Remedies is loved by celebrities all over because of its high antioxidant ingredients and skin nourishing properties. But it’s also a fantastic barrier for your skin in extreme weather conditions. It’s considered to be a MIRACLE OR SUPER balm because of the huge variety of ways you can use it.

It’s deeply nourishing oils which are rich in vitamins A and E work to protect and nourish tired and lacklustre skin. And if you’re always blowing your nose, you won’t want to go anywhere without it! This beauty balm is listed by Glamour magazine as one of their must-have skin products of 2018 and if you haven’t used this Beauty Balm before, it’ll definitely be one for your Christmas list!

3. Hydrate

I know I’ve talked about the importance of drinking water before, but there’s a reason why the saying goes ‘water is life’. If you find your lips are constantly cracking in cold weather, it’s probably because you’re more dehydrated than usual. There seem to be a hundred ways we lose water.

In the summer we sweat it out and in winter, we simply breathe it out! All those smoky dragon breaths we take in the frosty cold cost us some of our body’s water makeup. So it’s super important to stay hydrated during winter time.

On the bottle

I’ve shared about my favourite water bottle in this post. And I recommend keeping a drinking bottle handy so you can always top up your body’s water content. If you really need a hot drink when nothing else will do, try drinking herbal teas. Coffee is diuretic, which means it causes you to lose water.

This flask is the best hot drink flask I’ve ever had. And I’ve tried MANY!

One time, I filled it with tea and forgot to take it out with me, and would you believe the tea was still warm more than 24 hours later!!! I can’t recommend this flask highly enough!

4. Shake More!

I’m a huge believer in the power of natural fruit and vegetables for our health, energy and skin. And so, in order to battle the extremities of the cold, it’s good to provide your skin with good nutrition from within.

Skin smoothing shake

Blend an avocado with a little Manuka honey and some coconut milk for a satisfying smoothie that is rich in healthy fats and nutrients. Your skin will love you for it! This is also a favourite smoothie blend of Kim Kardashian! 😉

I highly recommend using a powerful blender like my Nutri Ninja or the Nutri Bullet. That way, you can have your smoothie to go if you’re in a rush. Did you know that you can also prep and freeze avocado? No more excuses for those busy weekday mornings!

5. Cleanse, Tone & Moisturise

I used to think that the routine of washing my face, toning my skin and then moisturising was a given. I thought everyone did that. But I found that fewer people than I realised follow this daily regime. I’ve had grown women come to me and say ‘what’s a toner?’.

My mum, who is now retired, was a professional trainer in the aesthetic medicine industry. She was responsible for training nurses and doctors all over the UK in numerous treatments like Botox when it first came out. So she knows the beauty industry extremely well!

Before I was a teenager she introduced me to the process of cleansing, toning and moisturising my skin. And I’ve been following the same simple three-step routine ever since.

My husband thinks that my skin looks good because of my genes, but I know the real secret! It’s my daily skincare routine!

Cleanse

It’s important that you use a really good cleanser. If you do nothing else, cleansing properly is the most important step. Our skin is exposed to oxidants throughout the day, as well as being covered in makeup. And so removing products and dead skin cells regularly is huge.

Choose a cleanser that’s right for your skin type and get the best you can afford. If you had to spend money on just one product, make it your cleanser!

Tone

The next step is to tone. This is important because toner adds hydration to the top layer of your skin (the epidermis). Your top layer of skin cells can get ‘thirsty’ and take up the hydration from your face cream that’s actually needed to penetrate deeper. So when these cells get hydrated from your toner, it allows your moisturiser to feed the deeper layer of your dermis. And this means you get the full benefit of your moisturiser.

When you don’t tone, you’re simply feeding your moisturiser to the top skin cells that are really thirsty, which isn’t what you want, especially if you’re spending good money on a moisturiser!

Use a non-drying toner

I also recommend using a toner that doesn’t dry out your skin because that’s actually the opposite of what you want. There are so many terrible toners out there that are actually bad for your complexion because they really dry your skin out.

Use a gentle toner that’s not harsh and dehydrating. I use and can recommend the Rose Toner and Frankincense Toner by Neal’s Yard Remedies. They’re organic, gentle and in particular, the Frankincense Toner contains zero alcohol – so absolutely not drying!

One of the main reasons I love Neal’s Yard Remedies products is because they create organic skincare that’s eco-friendly, ethically made and has years of scientific research behind it. I’d rather not use harsh, toxic chemicals on my skin if there’s a better alternative!

Moisturise

After toning, apply a good moisturiser. I find that changing up my moisturisers depending on the seasons is what works best for me. So in winter, I’ll use a more nourishing moisturiser and a lighter one in the summer.

My winter moisturiser of choice is the Frankincense IntenseCream by Neal’s Yard. It contains a tripeptide that’s been clinically proven to reduce wrinkles, boost your skin’s natural collagen production and provide nutrients to enhance your skin’s natural glow. I discovered all this nerdy info because I was lucky enough to attend a workshop that looked into the scientific research done on a range of skin products. #totalgeek 😉

So there you have it! Some simple, super effective ways to care for your skin this winter and keep old Jack Frost from nippin’ your nose!

What have you done in the past to take care of your skin? Let me know in the comments what works for you or what you’d love to try!

Comments

My skin is definitely getting dry as the seasons change. Winter is horrible for me cause my skin is overly sensitive. I’m trying to find a moisturizer that helps with wrinkles as i am getting old. LOL I

Yes! I’ve noticed my moisturiser change over the years too! When I turned 30, I decided that I’d start using products to deal with wrinkles even though my wrinkles were barely noticeable back then! Now I’m all about slowing down the ageing process (lol!) so I love Neal’s Yard’s Frankincense Intense range for that reason! 🙂

Awesome! I only started using serums about 5 years ago and I immediately thought “Where were THESE all my life??”!
Yes, when the weather doesn’t change seasonally you won’t have to amend your facial products too much. I grew up in Barbados and so all I needed there was a moisturiser with a high SPF!

Wow. I’ve never used a barrier but I need to start! Living in Wisconsin, winters get bitter cold and every inch of my skin gets super dried out. I can manage my face but my hands seem to ALWAYS be dry and cracked.

I know, right? Dehydration’s normally thought of as a summer/heat problem. But professional mountaineers know that it’s as much a problem in really cold weather too. Trouble is, we’re not as keen to drink plain water in winter!

Over the past 2 years my skin has been getting dry. And, winter is now brutal on my skin. I’ve switch to drinking more tea and less coffee to help with dehydration. I was told as a teen toner was for oily/acne prone skin. Thanks so much for the information on toner. I’ll definitely be adding that back to my skincare routine.

Yes, you can get a toner to suit your skin type. I definitely think back in the day, toners were very harsh and drying. I’m so glad for all the research and development in beauty over the years that have given us better knowledge for how to care for our skin!

Every winter I forget how dry my skin gets and I’ve lived through enough winters for this not to surprise me!! Thank you for the great tips – maybe I will remember to use some of your nourishing tips to prevent dry skin next winter!